Just days after Second Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins told his constituents that he won’t support Sterling Bay’s vision for the massive Lincoln Yards development, the West Town developer is out with plan B. The main sticking point in the original plan was an entertainment district, anchored by a soccer stadium and a number of live music venues owned by massive global entertainment octopus Live Nation. It’s not that the...

As the enormous Lincoln Yards master plan from Sterling Bay trudges through step two of a nine-step approval process, neighbors have been given a chance to weigh in via the interwebs. Second Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins published the results of an online poll about the project which will bring up to 5,000 new residences, an extension of The 606, and an as-yet-to-be-determined amount of office and hotel space to the Goose Island area....

Get your Allen wrenches ready — Chicago’s next flat-pack instant neighborhood is getting ready to rise. Fresh off a string of successes turning Chicago’s meatpacking district into the hottest business and tech hub between Virginia and Denver, Sterling Bay has officially filed plans for its Lincoln Yards megaproject. “Plans” is an important word here because this project is so large, it’s been split into...

Two weeks ago we told you about a proposal to fill the surface parking lot across the street from Holy Name Cathedral with a shiny new dual-skyscraper project. Now we know a little more about it. About a dozen dozen people turned out for a public meeting about the $700 million complex, which is being called One Chicago Square (1 West Chicago Avenue). The people in attendance at the event hosted by 2nd Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins...

If you’ve been hoping for the last decade that the City of Chicago might finally get around to repairing and re-opening the tunnels beneath the intersection of Michigan and Oak Street, forget it. It’s not gonna happen. It’s been about ten years since the pedestrian conveniences were shuttered. Each day hundreds of commuters used them to cross the intersection without having to stand on the corner waiting for a walk...

Neighborhood groups are starting to weigh in on Chicago’s largest urban renewal project in a generation. The North Branch Industrial Framework will transform 760 acres of industrial land along the Chicago River on the city’s north side into homes, low-impact businesses, parks, schools, and new neighborhoods. While it is officially in “draft” status, it is believed to be substantially complete. Mayor Rahm...

Projects come and projects go. That’s that nature of life in a big city, and the reason why we greet so many big projects with skepticism. There are certain content aggregators in town who immediately latch on to any e-mailed announcement and present it to their readers as if the project has merit, funding, and a chance in Hell of becoming reality. All it takes is a free blogging account sprinkled with buzzwords and pretty...

For months we’ve watched the East Village Association, the city, MCZ Development, and Second Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins square dancing over the building at 1938 West Augusta Boulevard. Until recently, the building was a Leona’s Italian restaurant. Before that, it was a dairy serving the East Ukrainian Village neighborhood. That building was actually erected around an 1890-ish two-flat, which still largely exists inside...

Thousands of people are interested in what’s going to become of PMD1 — The Clybourn industrial corridor on the north side of Chicago that will soon be redeveloped. Tens of thousands of people will be affected by the decisions made, including people who live nearby, commute through the area, or are drawn to its shops and the Chicago River. The city is currently holding a series of public meetings about the future of PMD1. But...

It’s been over five years since we first heard about city plans to re-configure Lake Shore Drive in downtown Chicago. A lot of work has been done on the Drive in other parts of the city, but the downtown portion remains congested, dangerous, and falling apart. But according to 2nd Ward Adlerman Brian Hopkins, “This is a bold, visionary project that has a chance to come to fruition.” It’s been a long time...